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Ryan S
Retired Sonos Staff
October 2, 2017

Now Available, the New Sonos App

Related content:Software



Sonos version 8.0 is introducing a brand new controller for iOS and Android. The new Sonos app makes it even easier to navigate, access, and control your music throughout your home. This new app comes side by side with voice control through Alexa devices, more about that here.

Check out our blog for the Remastered Sonos App. Full details on the new apps can be found here on their respective product guide pages. Let’s take a look at the new app:



Introducing Navigation with Tabs:


The Sonos app now has five tabs visible at the bottom when not in the full playing screen. The tabs are My Sonos, Browse, Rooms, Search, and More. See here:



Now your most used options are available with just one click, and Now Playing is always just one tap away.

My Sonos
We’ve consolidated all your personally curated Sonos Playlists, music service playlists, and Sonos Favorites into one, easy to use page on the Sonos app. You can edit fields to move around the order, or delete them entirely. You can now have up to 40 favorites total, up from 32.

Browse
Browsing your music is even easier as it no longer hides your other options. You can browse and move to different rooms all while keeping your place in the browsing menu. There’s also a dock on the bottom of the app that gives you easy access to the navigation tabs. You can swipe it up to reveal it at any time, then back down. We’ve separated browsing your music and the menu for Settings, so it’s even easier to find what you’re looking for.

Rooms
The menu starts highlighted on the active room, featured right on the app so that it’s even easier to see what’s playing in each room. There’s now an icon on that screen to show you where the music is coming from too. That includes if it was started by Alexa. The active room has a Group button to have it add others to the party.

Search
It hasn’t changed, just moved to an easy to find spot.

More...
All the settings and options are in here. You can add services, make alarms, get some help, and access all your settings. We think this will make it a lot easier to find what you’re looking for. And speaking of settings…


Explicit Language Filtering


Within Settings > Parental Controls, you can set a system-wide setting to filter songs with explicit content. Right now, this is working for Apple Music, and we’re hoping to add it for more services soon. Once the setting is on, Apple Music songs with the explicit tag will no longer play on your system.

Long Press to Group


Making it even easier to play music. With 8.0, you can press and hold the Play/Pause button (or mute on older players) to have your player join the most recently active player as a group. First, you have to start playing music on a player, (it can be from an alarm or any other source), and then just hold the button for a few seconds on another player. That second player will join the first one’s group and start playing the same music in sync.

There's another function of the long press, and that's being able to move recently stopped music to another room. First, stop playing music in any of your rooms. Then, press and hold the play/pause on another player for a few seconds. (Make sure that you don't start playing music anywhere else.) The queue or source will move to the unit you held the button for and start playing. The players won't group together and any existing queue will get whiped out in place of the new one.

iOS 11 and Android O Support


Lastly, version 8.0 has support for the latest operating systems from Android and iOS. This includes iOS 11 support for Trueplay on Sonos. Trueplay isn’t available on Android at this time.
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527 replies

Ryan S
Ryan SAuthor
Retired Sonos Staff
November 2, 2017
8028471 I agree the new app interface is horrible. Worse is 8.1 has my entire system unusable. I am a long time sonos user and have had relatively few problems in the past. Occasionally having to disconnect and reconnect everything, but nothing like this. Support response has been to ask for additional diagnostic (because items had dropped from system, no kidding) and then silence. Surprising how much not having music for 4 days effects mood and how frustrating Sonos response (lack there of has been). Quickly going from a favorite brand to a I can not recommend it brand.
Hopefully, you've had a chance to work with the team already, but from the diagnostic you posted, you're getting a lot of wireless interference on the system. I'd suggest changing the wireless channel on the system under Sonos settings.

Just downloaded the "bug fix" patch and it wiped out all of my connections.
Sounds it your network just needs a reboot to bring them back up. Best to start with the router, by unplugging the power for about 15 seconds. Then, move out to other network devices, including Sonos. The players should connect back automatically, you shouldn't need to reconnect through the app.
Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.
Contributor I
November 3, 2017
I guess Sonos only looks to their own website for feedback. Perhaps that is because you can filter it. Well, let's see what happens to this post.

If you go to the public reviews of this new App on Google Play, 99% are two or one star since the Oct 17 release. I revised my old review to one star as well.

What makes me extremely upset is how completely you blew up my 10+ years of loving Sonos (the equipment, the performance, the staff) with the latest release of your Android App. It is horrible. It makes your hardware horrible to use and completely unenjoyable.

I urge you (Sonos) to read the reviews on the new phone app that have come out since.... you will not find one review over two stars. I revised me long-standing 5-star review to 1-star. I will not ever buy another Sonos component unless you roll back the phone app (no not tweak the new one, completely erase it and rollback). Too bad because I was actually planning to buy two more Play 1s and a set of Play 3s and I was looking at the TV speakers as well. Furthermore, if you do not roll the app back in the next two months... I am going to sell all 15 of my Sonos components on Ebay and go with a different company.

Shame on your development team for ruining a much-loved company. How could you put something out that is so bad and generates such a visceral reaction from your loyal clients? I guess you do not seek our feedback? I guess you do not care?
November 3, 2017
I find the new app quite easy to use. There are issues to be addressed but it gives me no real problems.
Enthusiast II
November 3, 2017
“Quite easy to use” and “there are issues to addressed”.... doesn’t sound like the best promotion for the app does it. I can see by you number of posts that you are a veteran of this forum but that doesn’t mean you have to be positive all the time and can’t tell Sonos how you feel and how they can improve... i’m Sure they won’t kick you off the beta programme.
jgatie
November 3, 2017
I know. Everybody should read the horrible reviews for the new app here:

https://en.community.sonos.com/controllers-software-228995/new-app-sucks-6292388

And here:

https://en.community.sonos.com/controllers-software-228995/don-t-like-the-new-app-v5-0-6177488
November 3, 2017
I have never been in the beta program. I have stated my criticisms of the new app. But some of the criticism on this forum has been utterly brainless
Enthusiast II
November 3, 2017
JGatie.. thanks for those links. You have just reminded me how great 4.3 was and that with every release the software gets worse, but we put up with it until the next iteration is released in hope that we get back to the good old days.

Interestingly on the link you have provided, Ryan advises how to roll back...
jgatie
November 3, 2017
JGatie.. thanks for those links. You have just reminded me how great 4.3 was and that with every release the software gets worse, but we put up with it until the next iteration is released in hope that we get back to the good old days.

Interestingly on the link you have provided, Ryan advises how to roll back...


Yeah, that would be an interesting take, and decidedly calculating for those of you who are aware of the hypocrisy one would be accused of. Unfortunately, not all of the posters are that self-aware, so it does nothing for the vast majority of posters who are now stating how great the old 5.0 app is, how easy and intuitive, how you could hand it to a stranger and they know how to use it, how there was no wasted space, etc., in direct contrast to the reviews in those threads. Wary posters who don't want to get called out aside, the only explanation for such stark opinions changing so much over time is muscle memory and familiarity.

My personal favorite is the guy who resurrected the 3 year old "new app sucks" thread and posted a complaint about 8.0 while praising 5.0 for being easy and intuitive. You can't write irony like that.
Enthusiast II
November 3, 2017
Can you post similar links from version 5 to 6? I can’t seem to find any that are comparable.
jgatie
November 3, 2017
6.0 wasn't a major UI look and feel overhaul. Not sure what version contained the new queue functionality, but I'll be the first to admit I hated that and complained vocally. But you know what? I got used to it. Still not the optimum for parties, there should be a "add to end only" mode for that. But those queue changes as much as anything convinced me a UI preference is more muscle memory and familiarity than anything else, even if it was at my own expense.